Apparatus for separating precious metals from sand



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. P. GUPLIN. APPARATUS FOR SEPA RAT-ING PRECIOUS METALS FROM SAND,

'GRAVEL, am.

No. 532,266. Patented Jan. 8 1895.

WITNESSES:

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I UNITED STATES PATENT Pr on.

PASCAL P. OUPLIN, WEST BEND, IOWA.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING PRECIOUS METALS FROM SAND, GRAVEL, &c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,266, dated January8, 1895.

Application filed December 23, 1893. Serial No. 494,508. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PASCAL P. OUPLIN, of West Bend, in the county ofPalo Alto and State of Iowa, have invented a new andImproved Apparatusfor Separating Precious Metals from Sand, Gravel, &c., of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description. r V

The invention relates to dry placer mining, and its object is to providea new and improved apparatus for rapidly and thoroughly separating theprecious metals from the sand, gravel or other impurities, without theuse of water.

The invention consists of certain parts and details, and combinations ofthe same, as will be hereinafter described and then pointed out in theclaims. 7

Reference is to be hadtofthe accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the improvementon the line l1of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the improvement with parts brokenout. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on theline 33 of Fig.1;-

and Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same on the line 4-& of Fig. 1.

In the apparatus illustrated in the drawings A represents a frame inwhich is mounted the revoluble screen 13, arranged in an inclinedposition, as plainly shown in Fig. 1, and open at both ends. Thisrevoluble'cylindrical screenB is provided with an exterior shell B, anda series of screens B B B B B and B arranged concentric within the shelland having difierent mesh, the innermost screen being the greatest andthe outermost screen 13 the finest, with the intermediate screens of aproportionate mesh. The several screens are secured on spokes B attachedto the shaft 0,, extending centrally through the screen and journaled insuitable bearings on the frame A.

On the upper end of the shaft 0 is secured a bevel pinion O, in meshwith a bevel gear wheel 0 attached to the transversely-extending shaft 0journaled on the frame A, and provided with a pulley 0 connected by abelt 0 with suitable machinery'for imparting a rotary motion to theshaft 0 and by the gear wheels 0 and O to the shaft 0 and the'scree'n B.

Into the upper end of the screen B and into the innermost screen Bdischarges the spout D of a hopper D, into which the material to betreated is placed. The lower ends of the shell B and the screens B B B BB B discharge into chutes E, E, E E, E, E and B, respectively, supportedon the frame A. The chute E is designed to carry 0E very coarse materialto one side of the machine,

- while the other chutes E, E, E E E, E connect at their lowerends withvertically-disposed tubes F, F, F F F F opening at their lower ends intoboxes G, G, G G G G each connected by an opening in one side with an airbox H, connected at its outer end with'a blower I, for forcing air intothe said box H and through the openings therein into the individualboxes G, G, G G, G G and their corresponding tubes F, F, F F F Frespectively, so that the air rises in the latter under a pressure whichcan be varied by a valve J, held adjustable in each of the boxes G,-G, G,G, G, G. The lower end of each of the boxes G is provided with anoutlet funnel G", adapted to discharge into a pan K, set below the saidfunnel and adapted to receive the precious metal, as hereinafter morefully described- The pan K fits snugly onto the funnel G to preventescape of air.

In orderto prevent air from passing into the several chutes E, E, E E EE I provide each of the latter with a hinged gate E (see Fig. 1) adaptedto swing open only so far as to permit the amount of the material passing down'the respective chute to be discharged into the respective tube.Thus, when no material passes down a chute, its gate E closes the latterto corresponding tube F, F, F F F F The upper ends of the several tubesdischarge into an outlet trough L, for carrying off the tailings.

Within the air box H is arranged a gate H, pivotally-connected at itsfree end with a lever N, fulcrumed inside of the box H and connected bya link 0, with the hinged top of a bellows P, of any approvedconstruction, and

located on the top of the box H. The latter is connected with theinterior of the bellows by an opening H in the top of the box H, so thatair in the latter can pass into the bellows to open the same accordingto the pressure in the box. Thus, if the pressure decreases, the bellowsP will commence to close, so that the link 0 imparts a swinging motionto the lever N, whereby the gate H is opened more fully to permit theblower I to discharge more air into the box H to raise the pressure inthe lateach of the tubes, the pressure of the air be- 1 ing regulated bythe corresponding valve J.

Now, the material to be treated passes from the hopper D through itschute D into the revolving screen B near the shaft 0 thereof, so thatthe material is graded in its downward passage, the coarser materialpassing off to one side of the machine through the which carry thelighter particles upward to fall through the corresponding box andfunnel G into the corresponding pan K. Thus, it will be seen that thematerial is first graded, the several grades are subjected to air underpressure varying according to the grade, so

that the tailings are separated from the valuable metals, and the latterare deposited in the pans K, so that each pan containsa grade from thefinest flour gold to grain gold.

It is understood that the pressure of air in the tube F for instance,must be considerably less than the pressure in the next following tubeF, as the material passing from the screen B through the chute E intothe said tube F is of the finest grade, and contains flour gold whichwould rise and be carried off with the tailings in case of a highpressure of air in the tube F.

It will also be understood that in order to carry the coarser andheavier tailings passing, for instance, through the chute E into thetube F up to thetailings box L, a higher pressure is necessary in thesaid tube than in the tube F in which the tailings are comparativelylighter.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent-- 1. In an apparatus for separating preciousmetals from sand, gravel, &c., the combination with a revolving inclinedscreen having different mesh to separate the material into grades, of aseries of vertically disposed tubes arranged alongside each other, andconnected with an air supply, chutes leading from the said screens anddischarging into the said vertically disposed tubes, and hinged gatesarranged in the said chutes, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an apparatus for separating precious metals from sand, gravel,850., the combination with a graduated revolving inclined screen toseparate the material into grades, a series of vertically disposed tubesarranged alongside each other, chutes connected with the lower ends ofsaid screens and discharging into the vertically disposed tubes, hingedgates arranged in the said chutes, an air box connected at one end witha blower and at the other with the several vertical tubes, and a valveconnected with each tube for regulating the admission of air from theair box to the tubes, substantially as shown and described.

3. In an apparatus for separating precious metals from sand, gravel,(he, the combination with a graduated revolving screen, of a series ofvertically disposed tubes arranged alongside each other, chutes leadingfrom the chute E while the other grades containing the precious metalspass into the several 3 chutes E, E, E E E, E and into the correspondingtubes F, F, F F F F to be subjected therein to the rising columns ofair, I

said screens and discharging into the said tubes, hinged gates arrangedin the said chutes, an air box connected at one end with a blower and atthe other with the several vertical tubes, a valve for regulating theadmission of air from the air box to the tubes and finally discharge thesame into the tailings} chute L, While the valuable, heavier particlesmechanism, substantially as described for automatically regulating theamount of air passing from the blower to the air box, as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. An apparatus for separating precious metals from sand, gravel, &c.,comprising a graduated revolving screen, a series of vertically disposedtubes arranged alongside each other and into which discharge the saidscreens, an air box connected at one end with a blower and at the otherend with the several vertical tubes, a valve connected with each of saidvertical tubes for regulating the admission of air from the air box tothe respective tubes, a bellows located above the air box, the said airbox having an opening in its top by which it communicates with the.interior of the bellows, and a lever fulcrumed inside of the air box andconnected at one end by a link with the hinged top of the bellows and atits other end with the free end of the said gate, substantially as shownand described.

5.. An apparatus for separating precious metals from sand, gravel, 850.,comprising a graduated revoluble inclined screen, consisting of anexterior shell, and a series of screens having different mesh, andarranged concentric within the shell, the innermostscreen having thecoarsest mesh, a hopper discharging into the said innermost screen atits upper end, and a chute leading from the lower endof said innermostscreen to one side of the machine, a series .of vertically disposedtubes arranged alongside each other, an outlet trough into which theupper ends of the said tubes discharge, chutes connected with the lowerends of the remaining screens and the shell, and discharging into thevertically dis= posed tubes, the said chutes being-provided with hingedgates for the purpose specified, boxes into which the lower ends of thevertical tubes open, each of said boxes having an justable valve held ineach of said boxes to regulate the admission of air from the airchamber, a gate arranged in the said air chamber and a bellows connectedwith the said gate for automatically controlling the air passing fromthe blower to the air box, sub-v stantially as shown and described.

PASCAL P. OUPLIN.

Witnesses:

L. F. KLIEBENSTEIN, H. 0. BROWN.

